


The Lion's Protector and Mate

by rosewhip889



Category: Thundercats (1985)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2020-04-07 10:44:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19083421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosewhip889/pseuds/rosewhip889
Summary: Ever since she turned 21, Emma Rossin has had weird dreams of a cat-like man on a strange planet. Then she is one day captured by mutants and taken to Third Earth to work as a slave alongside the Brutemen. When the ThunderCats arrive to rescue the Brutemen, she escapes but is injured in the process. When she is found, she is found by none other than the man who has been haunting her dreams! It is then she finds out why she's been dreaming of him; it is her duty to protect and keep him safe. Can she do this and keep from falling in love with the strange lion-like man, or is it already too late? Explicit for blood, adult language, innuendos, violent scenes, and lemons. Lion-O/OC.





	1. It Begins

**Author's Note:**

> Moving it over from ff.net, since they're starting to crack down on mature stuff like this.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It starts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own ThunderCats; I only own any OC that is not part of the original story.

Action  
"Talking"  
_'Thinking'_  
_Dream sequences_

Chapter One: It Begins

~STORY START~

~ENTER DREAM~

~EMMA'S P.O.V.~

_Clawed hands gently cupped my face as the owner's lips met mine in a slow, gentle and lover-like way. The hands left my face and roamed down my body in an almost exploratory manner as the lips pulled away from mine and I opened my eyes to meet ginger-orange eyes, filled with love and adoration, staring down at me. Long, wavy scarlet-red hair fell over his shoulders and my eyes fell onto his thick, muscular chest and abdomen, covered in caramel fur._ _My eyes wandered over his build, taking in all the muscles that this man had and then locking back onto his face._

_The fur around his eyes and mouth was a light-cream colored and he had black tear-drop markings right below his eyes. The only thing that he was currently wearing was a loincloth, leaving nothing to the imagination; I wore only my bra and underwear._

_Reaching up, I gently laid a hand on the left side of his face and rubbed the sideburns on that side, smiling softly as he closed his eyes and let out a gentle purr. My hand then traveled up to his forehead, where I entwined my fingers in the hair that formed his heart-shaped hairline._

_Combing my fingers through his hair, I sat up as he leaned back and met his lips again, this time of my own accord. He gently traced the claws on his right hand down my side and I inhaled sharply as pleasure swept through me. I placed my hands on his chest and played with the soft fur. I felt a growl emanate from his chest and he gently pushed me back down onto my back._

_"If you don't stop teasing me, I may not be able to go slow and gentle with you." He said, his voice deep and rough with arousal, causing me to shiver._

_"Who said I wanted it to be slow and gentle?" I teased softly and he roughly captured my lips, nipping my bottom lip with his fangs, drawing blood in the process. He pulled back and I watched as he licked my blood off his fangs before he snaked his arm underneath my back and unclipped my bra._

_He pulled away a bit and I raised an eyebrow as I watched him grab ahold of my underwear, using his fangs, and bit through the straps one at a time. When both straps were broken, he slid them out from underneath and I gave him a glare._

_"That was my favorite pair." I said and he nuzzled the right side of my neck._

_"I'll get you some new ones, don't worry, love." He murmured and his voice against the side of my neck sent chills down my spine._

_"You know, it's not fair that I'm completely naked and you're still wearing your loincloth." I said before kissing his right temple and he sat up, pulling me with him._

_"Then... let's correct that." He stated and before I knew, he was lying on his back with me sitting on his stomach. I blinked at him in surprise before turning to look at his loincloth._

_I could see his member was straining against the fabric, and I quietly gulped in sudden nervousness before reaching down and slowly undid the straps. When the straps were untied, I removed the fabric and his member sprang into the air and I couldn't help but gawk at it. It was huge! Not only was it thick, but it was a good eight inches._

_"Um... you sure that's gonna fit?" I asked and I heard him laugh before feeling him sit up and he wrapped his muscular arms around me._

_"I'm positive; we'll just take it nice and slow." He said and I turned my head to face him._

_After a couple of seconds, I nodded and melded my lips with his before suddenly finding myself looking up at him again; he had switched out positions. He reached over to the desser next to his bed, opened the drawer, and pulled out a small bottle. He uncapped it and smeared some of it on his fingers before kneeling down between my thighs. Placing a kiss to the inside of one of my thighs, he slowly pushed one of his fingers inside my wet core and my back arched up off the bed._

_A gasp escaped as he curled his finger, brushing a spot that made pleasure shoot down my spine and caused me to see stars. He paused, seeing my reaction, and then started to stimulate that spot. He added another finger and started scissoring, causing the entrance to widen to allow for something much larger than a finger to enter._

_"Do you enjoy that, love?" He asked as he added a third finger, bringing about some discomfort that quickly went away as he curled all three digits, brushing that one sopt and the pleasure was more intense than it had been last time. "_

_Do... that... again." I panted lightly as the pleasure fled, and he leaned down to gently nip at my thigh. "Patience, love, patience." He murmured, his hot breath hitting my leg, and I gave a small scoff._

_"Speak for yourself there, buddy boy." I said, regaining my breath, and he chuckled. "Point taken. Now..." He dwindled off as he removed his fingers, leaving me to feel empty, and I whimpered at the loss, only for the whimper to be completely cut short as I felt something stiff brush against the lips of my core._

_"Are you ready, my Queen?" He finished, and I moved my head, my eyes meeting his molten gaze, and I nodded. Slowly pushing, he slid inside, briefly stopping at a barrier before pushing past, breaking it and sending a jolt of pain through me, causing tears to spring, unbidden, to my eyes, and I closed them, hoping to hide the tears before he noticed them._

_From the sudden stillness and then the feeling of a tongue sweeping across my eyes, I'd say that I failed. I heard a small deep-throated purr and I opened my eyes back up to see him staring down at me, adoration and love bright in them. Catching my breath, I nodded to him and he gave a nod back before he slowly finished sliding all the way in. He paused for a couple minutes to allow me time to adjust to his size before he started thrusting at a slow pace._

_It was a little weird at first, being underneath this magnificent cat-man while he made love to me, but that soon went away as he sped up, he brushed against that spot again and I twitched as white-hot pleasure raced down my spine. I let out a breathy moan, and he began angling himself so that he would hit that spot with each thrust. As his speed increased, I became emboldened and bucked upwards with my hips; that allowed him to slide in even deeper and he moaned an almost animalistic growl at the sensation._

_He placed his claws on either side of my head and began to pound into me. Leaning down, he placed butterfly kisses on my left shoulder, heading towards my neck and once he reached the junction of my neck and shoulder, he began to lightly nip at it. I moaned and bucked again, this time in sync with his thrusts, and as I did, he collided with that spot inside and my vision flashed white as heat soared inside me and my insides quivered before exploding._

_As this happened, he threw his head back and released a loud and mighty roar as he slammed into me one more time before I felt him quiver and then I felt an extreme heat, hotter than what I had just experienced, fill me as he lowered his hed back down and his jaws clamped down on the junction, biting hard, and I felt a small trickle of blood travel down my shoulder. I gasped and that flooding feeling happened again as he continued to pulse within me._

_After what felt like an eternity, he finally collapsed on top of me, completely spent, as I was close to being one with the sheets, as I was spent as well. He lifted his head and examined the mark, which was still lightly bleeding, before he licked the mark clean._

_"Well, if anyone doubted before, they won't be able to now; you belong to me, my Queen, and I to you." He said and I couldn't respond. "Are you okay, Emma?" He asked and I nodded._

_"As well as can expected to be, dear." I said, and he gave a small tired laugh before rolling towards my right and landing on the bed next to me. I gently rolled over onto my right side and snuggled up to him, my left arm gingerly going across his midsection as his left hand began to play with my hair._

_"Emma, dear, what would you think about the possibility of cubs in the future?" He asked and I looked up at him._

_"Well, I think that we should be patient, my dear Lord." I replied and he rolled over onto his left side, causing me to face him and move myself from his person._

_"You know that patience is not my strong suit, my dear." He said and I gave a small laugh._

_"I know that all too well, my love, especially your tendency to run off into battle without making a plan first." I teased, and his caramel face turned a little darker before he raised his right hand and pushed me over onto my back, causing me to laugh at his childish actions. "Besides, why do we need cubs right now? You already act like a child!" I said, laughing as he stuck his tongue out at me before he grabbed me and pulled me on top of him so that I could lie on top of him, still covered by the blanket._

_"You're so funny my love, that I forgot how to laugh." He said drily, and I merely replied by kissing his throat. "Seriously, though, cubs. What are your thoughts on them?" He asked seriously, and I placed my chin on his chest, looking him in the eyes._

_"We can't really plan right now, not with Mumm-Ra and the mutants running amok, but anything can happen, my dear L-_ "

~END DREAM~

My eyes snapped open and I shot into a sitting position, my sheets soaked with sweat and other bodily fluids that I will not talk about; what the fuck was that?! That was, like, the 8th or 9th freaking dream that I have had since I turned 21 two weeks ago, and in every single one, I'm with that lion man, whether it be in a... sexual position, taking a walk through a garden with me appearing heavily pregnant, hanging out, or fighting mutants and protecting the other inhabitants on some distant planet, and it was really starting to get aggravating.

Not to mention, in every dream, whenever I was either getting ready to speak his name, he would, or someone else was going to announce his name, I would wake up; all I know is that the first letter of his name is L.

Groaning out loud, I grabbed my face with my right hand and rubbed my eyes furiously; this was getting ridiculous! Giving a low growl, I threw my covers off of me, got off the bed, and stalked towards my bathroom. Flipping the switch, light filled the bathroom and I looked at myself in the mirror.

I didn't really see anything special about myself, not with my pale blonde-almost white-hair with natural black highlights, my light skin, and my amber-colored eyes. Hanging around my neck on a gold chain was a pendant with a red center that had a black cat head that was roaring. It was a gift from my great-grandmother, the person who raised me after my parents were killed by mutants; mutants liked to raid planets and kidnap people to keep and use or sell on other planets as slaves, and we would never know when they would strike.

Groaning in exasperation, I walked back into my room and grabbed some clothes so that I could take a shower. Climbing in, I scrubbed myself almost raw while trying to forget my dream, but I could still feel his hands-or claws-still on me, and it was almost as if no matter how much I would scrub, the feeling of his hands on me would never fade.

Giving up, I finished showering, turned the water off, and dried off before pulling on my underclothes and then adorning a blank red t-shirt, a pair of blue Capri's, and a pair of hiking boots. Grabbing my keys, and making sure that my necklace was still around my neck, I headed out, making sure to lock my door behind me.

Heading off down the road, I didn't really have a destination in mind, but I needed to get moving to hopefully help to get my mind off of that godforsaken dream. With no real destination in mind, I tucked my hands in my pockets, enjoying the slight breeze blowing through my hair when, suddenly, it turned into a huge gust of wind, causing leaves to blow into my face. I brought my arms up to cover my face, wondering exactly what was going on.

"Run! It's the mutants!" I heard screams of terror fill the air, and my head snapped up in horror.

Sure enough, landing about a hundred yards away from me, was the ugliest ship that I had ever seen. It almost looked reptillian in design, with the ship being a reptile green color. Suddenly, I watched as a door slid open, and mutants came pouring out.

There were giant lizards, monkeys, vultures, and jackals, all walking on two legs, and they towered over my five foot and four inches. Suddenly, one of them pointed at me, and I turned to run. I had taken maybe ten steps when something wrapped around my ankles and I slammed, face first, against the ground, and the ground shook as something ran up to me.

I tried to crawl away as fast as I could, but when something grabbed the back of my shirt, I quickly tucked my amulet down into my bra so that they hopefully wouldn't see it.

"Look, Commander, this one looks strong!" I looked over my shoulder to see one of the jackals holding onto my shirt; I squirmed and tried to grab ahold of its wrist.

"Let me go, you poor pathetic excuse of a dog!" I yelled as mutants swarmed past me, chasing after the other people, before the police showed up and began to open fire upon the mutants.

"Looks like we're only getting the one slave this time around. Jackal, hurry up and let's go!" A lizard shouted and the jackal started dragging me towards the ship.

Desperation filled me, and I reached out and slammed my fist right between his ribs; he dropped me with a yelp and I quickly tried to untangle whatever it was that was wrapped around my shins. It looked like a bolo, but before I could even get it unwrapped halfway, I felt a searing heat shoot past my right arm, and I jerked; they had just fired around me, grazing me in the process.

Ignoring the pain, I continued to untangle the bolo, and when it was finally undone, I stood up, and took off running. I was a couple yards away when, suddenly, I felt white-hot pain as something pierced my right leg and my left arm; they had just shot me, and I was now defenseless. I hit the ground, hard, and my blood started to stain the normally green grass red.

"Monkian, grab the human girl, and let's go! Knock her out if you have to!" I peered over my right shoulder in time to see a monkey walk up. Raising his fist, he brought it into play against the back of my head, and I fell into instant darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think.


	2. The Slaves of Castle Plun-Darr

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma meets the ThunderCats unknowingly. Lots of violence ensues, and mutants get their asses kicked, as usual.

Action

"Talking"

_'Thinking'_

_Dream Sequence_

Chapter Two: The Slaves of Castle Plun-Darr

~STORY START~

~EMMA'S P.O.V.~

~DREAM~

_Sunshine was filtering down through the trees as I walked down a path that lined the many fruit trees. I held out a hand and brushed my hands over the leaves of one fruit tree, exposing the candy cane shaped fruit that grew on it._

_Picking the fruit, I bit into it and nearly moaned at how delicious the fruit was. The sudden noise of twigs cracking drew my attention and I looked up to see my tall lion-man walking towards me, his gentle gaze on my form._

_"You know, that moan of yours is a big turn on." He said gently as he reached my side and I gave a small laugh._

_"Yeah, well, you have cravings and see what happens when you're able to fulfill them." I said and he wrapped his arms around me, resting his hands on the small swell that took residence between my hips._

_"I still can't believe it. I still can't believe that, in here, is a life growing." He said softly as he buried his nose into my hair and I leaned my head back against his shoulder._

_"And to think that all it took was the very first try. Either you have some very good luck, or you're just extremely potent and I'm extremely fertile." I said and he purred in response. I fell silent and was just content to listen to the birds sing as they flew around, creating their nests._

_It had been some time since the mutants had last created mischief, and I was grateful for the quiet, because whenever they caused problems, my lion and his friends sequestered me away at the Cat's Lair so that I wouldn't be in harm's way, due to the life form that was growing inside me. It was still strange to me, that there was life growing beneath my navel, and at times, it weirded me out a little, but I quickly got over it._

_"You're awfully quiet, Emma. What are you thinking about in that pretty head of yours, my love?" He asked, breaking the silence, and I twisted in his arms to look him in the eye._

_"I was just thinking that it's nice to be able to get out and stretch my legs for a little bit; I can only walk around Cat's Lair for so long before I start to go crazy from cabin fever." I said and he sighed._

_"I'm sorry about that, but we don't want to risk you or the baby getting hurt; I was the last one born before Thundera exploded." He explained and I gave him a small, sad smile._

_"I understand. Really, I do, but place yourself in my shoes; would you be content if you weren't allowed to leave Cat's Lair for extended periods of time?" I asked and he thought about it for a minute before sighing and then shaking his head, his scarlet mane following the movement._

_"No, I wouldn't. I'll see if we can get you outside to get more sun, but we'll have to be careful; if anything happened to you or the baby, nothing would be able to protect those responsible from me." He said and I placed my cheek against his chest._

_"I know, my big, brave lion. I know." I said and his arms tightened as he pressed a kiss to my head. We stayed like that for a couple more minutes before we were interrupted by his sword activating. He quickly released me and unsheathed his sword._

_"Sword of Omens, give me Sight Beyond Sight." He ordered as he brought the hilt up to his eyes. I watched in amazement as his eyes glowed before he narrowed them and then widened in shock._

_"What's wrong, L-"_

~END DREAM~

The sudden jerking of the floor beneath me roughly brought me back to wakefulness. I opened my eyes to see that I was lying on a dark brown floor that was cold but also warm to the touch. Lifting my head, I winced as pain exploded in the back of my skull, and I raised a hand to touch the back of my hand, only or the movement to be cut short as I heard chains jingling. Taking a look at my arms, I stiffened in shock when I noticed that they were shackled; what the hell?!

A quick look at my ankles showed the same thing; I was shackled, and I didn't have a clue why. Looking up, I saw a giant lizard staring at me through the bars and I inhaled sharply as the memories returned; I had been kidnapped by mutants, and it looks like they were going to turn me into a slave. I met the lizard's look with a dark glare, and the thing only grinned.

"Slithe is going to have fun breaking you, human." It said in a slithering male voice, and I narrowed my eyes even more. Casting a look around, I saw that I was in a cell, and that my arms and feet were shackled to the floor. The chains looked like they were long enough and the cell was big enough to allow me some standing room and movement, so I slowly stood up, taking my time because of the throbbing in the back of my head.

All of a sudden, the whole ship shuttered before alarms started going off; the hell was going on?! "Quick, Slith, grab the slave; the ship is sinking! I don't care how you carry her, knock her out if it would be easier to do so!" I heard a lizard's voice rasp out over the intercom and the lizard Slith walked forward, and I watched as he picked up what looked to be like an almost primitive cattle prod.

As he approached the cage, I tried to back away, but the chains would only let me go so far, and with me being chained up, I wouldn't be able to defend myself, and let's not forget that I don't have a weapon; my great-grandmother trained me how to fight and defend myself with a naginata. I usually carry it around with me, but the day that the mutants arrived, I left it home, and I'm pretty sure that Grandma Terice is rolling in her grave, because that was the very first rule that she taught me; never leave home unarmed. The lizard stopped advancing, and as I watched, touched the prod against the floor.

At first nothing happened, but then... An electric current swept up throught the chains and struck me, causing my muscles to lock in place and my mouth opened as a shrill scream ripped itself free from my throat.

After 5 seconds, the electric current went away, but then I felt a prick in my right arm and I looked down to see a dart embedded in it; the lizard had shot me with a tranquilizer dart. As the effects of the dart began to take effect, I sank to my knees and then fell over onto my side.

Distantly, I felt arms pick me up and throw me over a shoulder, my arms and legs still shackled, and then the feeling of someone running with me in their grasp made me nauseous, but I somehow managed to keep from throwing up. I closed my eyes, and I lost all sensation as the tranq finally took effect, and I passed out.

~TWO DAYS LATER~

The feeling of cold stone behind my back was the first thing that I could feel. I opened my eyes, and nearly screamed out in fear as I saw large, brown creatures lumbering around in a cell next to me. Jumping to my feet, I stumbled as the world spun from moving too fast.

I fell to my knees, and my stomach surged. I threw up nothing but stomach acid from not having anything to eat; how long had I been out? I vaguely remember that fucking lizard Slith shooting me with a tranq, but how much time had passed? Suddenly, I heard footsteps, and I looked over my shoulder to see the mutant Monkian, the one responsible for knocking me out and for kidnapping me from my world, walking into my cell.

"Where... where have you taken me, and what have you done to me?!" I exclaimed, my voice coming out harsh seeing as how my throat was still rough since I had just thrown up. The mutant merely hooted.

"You're on Third Earth, human, and you're here to help the other slaves build Castle Plun-Darr." He replied, hooting between every other word, and I gritted my teeth before his words registered and I froze with shock; Third Earth?! It actually existed?! Then, does that mean... that the lion-man from my dreams could possibly exist?!

Monkian snapped a whip and then pulled on a chain that, I hadn't noticed until now, was connected to the shackles attached to my feet and arms.

"Now, slave, get to your feet, and get to work!" He ordered, jerking on the chain, causing me to fall backwards with a yelp before I scrambled to my feet.

I followed Monkian against my will, and watched as he attached my chains to a long line of chain, with the large brown creatures in front and behind me. He snapped the whip, which forced the creatures to start moving, in turn making me move. I didn't have a clue as to what we were doing, but all I could do was go with the flow if I wanted to get out of this without getting hurt. We were led to a quarry, where Monkian, a jackal, and a lizard all held different forms of weaponry, and it was also here that Monkian traded his whip for a mace-type weapon, one that had a handle and the mace dangled from it on a chain.

"Now, slaves, cart all this stone back to Castle Plun-Darr, and resume building it, now!" The lizard hissed as the jackal brandished a club, and the creatures got to work, picking up stones larger than me and placing them in the cart while I could only pick up the stones I knew that I could carry.

Thus was my life for the next few days, or was it weeks? I'm not sure because I've lost count; what I do know was that the castle was almost done. I had been able to avoid some trouble, but I still received lashes for not moving fast enough; as it was, I currently had a gash on my right arm that was closed, but was beginning to look infected. It was one day that, on the way back to the castle, there was... trouble. One of the creatures stumbled and fell, the poor thing too tired to move, and the mutants all attacked it.

"Get up and move, you lazy Bruteman!" Jackalman demanded, and I did something really stupid; I jumped forward to try and save it.

"Leave him alone!" I demanded, shoving Monkian out of the way, and placed myself over the Bruteman. "Can't you see he's tired?! He's not going to be able to do what you want when he can barely move, you fucking idiots!" I shouted, my anger getting the best of me, and the mutants lashed out.

Monkian brought his mace into play and, with one swipe, sent me to the forest floor, ripping a nice sized piece of skin from my back with the swipe, before he sauntered off into the firest. Jackalman slammed his club against the right side of my back and I screamed as I felt some ribs break. I gently rolled onto my left side and curled into a ball as much as I could while the beating continued. Slithe stomped on my left arm, breaking it, and the pain was almost nothing like I had previously known. My eyes shot open as a scream ripped itself free from my already damaged throat.

About that time, I saw two young figures in the trees, but they were far enough away that I couldn't see them clearly. Jackalman picked a foot up and slammed it down onto my right side; bloody spittle flew from my mouth. My vision flashed before I feel a foot connect with my back and I was being rolled over onto my face.

"Get up, you lazy human!" It's a chore, but with only my right arm the good one, I manage to push myself to my knees, my entire midsection and back feeling as if they're on fire.

I limp back over to the cart and the Bruteman chained to it, gently lays a hand on my right shoulder to help steady me; I gave him a nod of thanks It felt like an eternity before we reached the castle, and we were forced back to work. Blood was trickling down my back as I helped a bruteman move stones with only one good arm, while the other one was kept close to my chest. Suddenly, Monkian and Jackalman walked up, swinging their weapons.

"Build us a wall, you lazy hulks!" Jacklman ordered, and we were forced to stop working on the ramp leading to the castle and began building a wall; were they expecting an attack or something? When the wall was nearly completed, Slithe ordered for us to be locked up; yeah, I'd say that they were expecting an attack, and was getting ready to set up an ambush.

We were all escorted back to our cells, and when my door was closed and locked behind me, I stumbled to a corner, lowered myself down, and closed my eyes, ready to pass out. I must have, because the sounds of doors opening and a male voice ringing out. I kept my eyes closed, because I didn't want to get my hopes up in case it turned out to be a trick.

"So this must be where they hold the brutemen captive! But where is that human that WilyKit and WilyKat said that they saw?" The voice sounded familiar, and I cracked open an eye; was WilyKat and WilyKit the two young ones I saw earlier? And they sent help?! Maybe there is a god, or whichever deity, after all.

"I'm... in here." I called out, a little weak, and when the face appeared, my heart stopped, for it was the lion-man from my dreams that I saw looking in at me.

Shock filled his heart-shaped face before he somehow managed to force the door open, and I somehow managed to stand up, despite the fact that I was covered in blood.

He walked in and my breath caught in my throat, which sent me into a coughing fit, because he looked exactly the same, except the dreams never did him justice in the muscle department, because damn, he was filled out nicely.

He wore blue boots, a blue tank top that had a hole right above his belt that showed off his abs. His belt had the exact same symbol that was on my amulet that was currently hidden in my bra; my shirt was currently ripped all over the place, and the mutants would've seen the amulet and, more than likely, would have confiscated it.

Suddenly, I heard explosions, and smoke filled the air, sending both of us into coughing fits, and then, suddenly, I lost all control over myself.

~3RD PERSON P.O.V.~

The smoke was actually a chemical gas, created specifically to send its victims into a more primitive version of themselves, and so the mutants pumped the gas into the cells before retreating to a more safe area, in hopes that the brutemen would finish off the cat-man.

What they didn't know was that the man they wanted eliminated was nowhere near the brutemen, but was actually in the cell with the human female. The man looked at the woman and snarled, a predatory command, and she growled back, refusing to back down.

They glared at each other before the man leaped at her, wanting to force her into submission; he would have her, whether she consented or not.

She dodged, and he crashed into the wall, leaving the way to freedom open. She darted out, and behind her she heard a roar bounce off the stone walls and echo around her; the man was beyond pissed that his prey had escaped him.

She sped up as fast as she could, but when she rounded a corner, she ran outside into a courtyard, where there were several brutemen who were also affected by the gas, and when they saw her, they lunged at her.

Suddenly, pounding footsteps came from behind her and as she turned to look, the lion-man from earlier jumped over her head, and pushed her away from the angry creatures before leaping into the bunch and began knocking them out one by one.

Once they all lied on the floor, unconscious but alive, he turned to her, standing up straight, and growled at her, expecting obedience. She snarled at him, too headstrong to bow down, and he bent halfway, as he circled her, and vice versa. The mutants merely watched, surprised at this change in events, as three more figures appeared; a male tiger, a male panther, and a female cheetah.

"Lion-O, snap out of it!" The tiger yells, but to no avail as the lion leaped at the human woman; his call is merely ignored, as the female is pinned underneath the other, due to her injuries finally taking their toll on her.

The man, Lion-O, snarled at the woman underneath him, before piercing her shoulder with his fangs, causing the woman to let out a yelp-like scream before suddenly going limp; the man had won and so she was showing submission. As he lapped up the blood, a strong breeze suddenly blew through the yard, and the human female regained her senses as the rest of the gas was blown away, clearing their systems.

~EMMA'S P.O.V.~

When I was able to regain control, I wasn't sure what to do, seeing as how the lion-man from my dreams had me pinned and was currently licking the bite wound that he had inflicted upon my left shoulder. I couldn't blame him, because he had lost control of himself due to that gas, whatever it was.

The gas had caused us to smehow lose control of our civilized minds, and had reverted to animals made of pure instinct. I stayed still, not wanting to make a move in case I might upset him, when I suddenly felt him stiffen. He suddenly pulled away from my shoulder and when our eyes met, his eyes were filled with shock and was locked on something. I followed his gaze, and when I found what he was staring at, I stopped breathing; my amulet had somehow fallen out of my bra and was lying on my shoulder.

His eyes were locked on the symbol before they jerked back to my face. Yells sounded out, which caused the lion-man to jump up off of me and it provided me with the opportunity to get up and take off into the woods, my breath ragged as my broken ribs protested the movement.

"Wait, come back!" I heard him shout out from behind me, but I kept going; I had to get away so that I could gather my thoughts, and I wasn't going to be able to do that around them. I kept running until I lost my footing and fell, head first, into a river.

My strength having been spent from the run, I allowed the river to take me downstream until my tired body bumped against land. I grabbed onto the bank, and slowly crawled out about halfway before my arms gave out. The sun wasn't as harsh as it had been before, so I just lied there, my legs still in the water while my upper half was drying on the grass.

I must have drifted off a little bit because I heard shouting and I weakly lifted my head to see several figures running towards me. As they got closer, I was able to see that they looked to be large teddy bear-shaped robots.

"Someone is in the river, and it's a girl!" One cried in a robotic voice.

"Hurry; she looks injured!" Another called out and as they reached my side, I lost the battle against unconsciousness and my head hit the river bank as I faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having to watch ThunderCats on my phone because I can't find my copies of the first two discs of season one, which is REALLY obnoxious. I tweeked this episode a bit, so it's not exactly verbatim. Also, I changed it a wee bit just now, so it's not exactly the same as my version on ff.net.


	3. Trouble With Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Timey whimey stuff. Prepare for some angst. Emma finally meets the ThunderCats properly. Well, most of them, anyway.

Chapter Three: Trouble With Time

~STORY START~

~DREAM START~

~LION-O'S P.O.V.~

_I circled the human girl as she held her double-bladed naginata firmly in her grasp, eyes not even straying from mine. She mirrored my moves, as we paced in the forest._

_"It's your move." I said, and she narrowed her eyes before pausing and then lunging at me, bringing one blade down towards my head._

_I brought up the claw shield, and the blade collided with it, sparks jumping from the two metals colliding with each other. She pressed down on her weapon, applying more weight to which I responded by pushing back and she stumbled back a few steps before steadying herself, but I pressed with my own attack, and she was forced to begin defending herself._

_I had her on defense for a good 10 minutes before she ducked one of my attacks, fell to the ground and swept my feet out from underneath me. I fell onto my back and when she jumped towards me, I rolled out of the way and sprang to my feet as she charged me again._

_I spun and, using the claw shield, knocked her weapon out of her hand and then pinned her against the forest floor. She struggled to get free, even trying to push me off of her, before she finally gave up after 5 minutes, and stared at me, her amber eyes narrowed in annoyance with her light yellow-almost white-hair fanned out underneath her head._

_"Can you please get up? You're crushing me with your bigger frame." She said, and I laughed before standing up and offering her a hand. She grudgingly took it and I pulled her up to her feet._

_"You are getting better, though. You kept up with me for a little longer this time." I said and she growled as she picked up her naginata before sheathing it._

_"Yeah, well, 'better' isn't good enough; I'm your Protector! I need to be able to protect you without a freaking problem!" She was pissed, I could tell, but I think it was mostly because of the fact that she believed that she was slowly getting better, and she believed that she should already be where she needed to be._

_"You just recently healed from the latest mutant attack, my dear, and let's not forget about the precious passenger that you're carrying." I said and she gave me an unamused look; uh-oh. Please don't tell me that she was fixing to have a mood swing. Thankfully, her irritation seemed to fade as the sight of it left her face and she sighed._

_"You're right. It's just... frustrating, because I feel as if I can't do anything to help out around the lair, I can't seem to be able to do my Protector duties properly because I'm almost always getting hurt, and now I'm carrying our child, making me even more useless!" She said before sitting down on the ground and placing her head in her hands. Sighing, I walked over and sat down beside her before reaching up and, effortlessly, picking her up and bringing her over to sit in my lap. She twisted around to where her right shoulder was facing me while she sullenly stared out at the forest._

_"I realize that you're frustrated and that you feel useless, but I hope you realize that you are the exact opposite; you are not only currently carrying the next generation of ThunderCats, but you are also carrying my child, and I believe in your ability to handle yourself. But I'm only concerned about the safety of both of you, so please bear with me." I said, pulling her against my chest and wrapping one arm around her shoulders while my other arm fell down and I rested my hand against the small bump that was just starting to protrude underneath her shirt._

_"I know, but I can't help feeling like I need to do something to help out!" She exclaimed before turning around and pressed her face into my chest. With the bump firmly pressed against me, I was gentle as I hugged her. We sat there for a while before she sighed and repositioned herself; her back was now pressed against my chest and both of my hands settled on the bump._

_"I must admit, this is nice; being able to just relax without anyone screaming our names." I said, breaking the silence and she leaned her head back against my shoulder so that she could see me._

_"Yeah, you're right. Wanna know one thing that sucks, no matter where I go?" She asked and I raised an eyebrow as I met her gaze._

_"What's that?"_

_"These god-forsaken hormones and their damn near constant surging!" She growled, irritation flashing on her face before she wriggled around some more, and I shifted as her wriggling bgean to turn me on. "Bad time for them to surge." She growled again and I wrapped my arms around her, effectively trapping her against my chest._

_"Oh, I don't know. We could make this a good time." I said, my arousal evident as my voice turned into a growl towards the end of the sentence, and she shivered._

_"I am not... going to give into... my hormones..." She said before changing her mind and somehow twisting around to face me so that she could plant her lips on mine in a heated kiss._

_My hands snaked up the back of her shirt and I lightly dug my claws in, causing her to break the kiss and gasp for air. I lied back and pulled her with me so that she was on top, straddling my hips. I placed my right palm against her face and she nuzzled it before leaning down and, as carefully as she could with the bump, gave me another heated kiss._

_I moved my hands down to her pants and started undoing them as her hands moved up to my shirt. Breaking the kiss, we didn't take long to take off our restricting clothes and soon we were as nude as the day that we were born. Kissing again, she aligned herself and then slowly lowered herself onto my aching shaft and we both moaned; by Thundera, she was wet and tight, no matter how many times we've done this!_

_She slowly began moving, angling herself before lifting up and then sitting back down, causing me to slide deeper within her. I grapsed her hips and then gently rolled us over so that she was below me._

_I started moving my hips slowly and she moaned, her hands flying up to grasp my biceps. Each movement seemed to make her take me in even more than before, and I was starting to lose my mind, even though we had only just gotten started. I soon sped up and she brought her hands down to entangle them with mine and soon I was all but slamming my hips against hers, our moans growing louder as I took her right there on the forest floor. She bucked her hips, and I slid in even deeper, causing her to gasp and her back to arch up off the ground._

_"There! Do... that... again." She managed to gasp out and I complied, releasing one of her hands so that I could I snake my right arm underneath her back to support and comply with her demands. By this time, all coherent thought was lost and the only thing that I could focus on was her. I could tell that she was reaching her peak by the way that she was clamping around me, but I was also reaching my end as well._

_As I pulled out, I shoved my hips forward so that I went in so deep that we were pretty much one being and her eyes snapped closed as her body stiffened and her walls clamped down on me, pulsating. I stiffened as I reached my peak and filled her with my essence as her walls milked me for all that I was worth._

_"Lion-O..." She gasped out and I buried my nose into her neck._

_"E-"_

~END DREAM~

BANG BANG BANG. My eyes snapped open and as I shot up into a sitting position, I could feel  _it_  straining against the fabric of my underwear. I moved the blanket to take a look, and glared as there was a wet spot.

"Lion-O, get up!" It was Panthro, and I quickly covered myself back up. "The Berbil village just called; they have an injured person and apparently they're not healing properly." He said and I panted softly.

"All right Panthro; just give me a bit to get ready." I said and I heard him walk away. As soon as his footsteps were out of hearing range, I growled under my breath; what in Thundera?! AGAIN?! It's been at  _least_  four months since we crashed here, but even before that... While I was in the susension capsule, I started having dreams involving that girl. At first, I just thought that it was my imagination gone wild, but then last month I had seen her at Castle Plun-Darr, and I was shocked to see that she was actually real. Not only that, but she seemed stunned to see me as well! Getting out of bed, I stalked over to the dresser and grabbed some clothes before heading into the shower to get rid of... my problem. Once that was taken care of, I quickly ran out and down to the front door to meet up with Panthro. Once I was outside, I noticed that he was waiting by the ThunderTank; was I going to be able to drive it as my driving lesson?!

"Lion-O, there you are! Come on, get in; Ro-Bear Bill sounded pretty urgent over the phone." Panthro said as he jumped into the driver seat and I tried not to let my disappoint show; oh well.

"How badly injured is the person?" I asked as I jumped into the passenger seatand Panthro gunned the ThunderTank in response; wow, it must be bad if Panthro is acting like this.

"The wounds on the person have become infected, and they keep calling a certain name out in their sleep, but Ro-Bear Bill wouldn't tell me who. If this person is as bad as I think, then we're going to need Cheetara and the kittens to go and find some herbs." He said grimly, and a sudden chill settled on me; this was serious. After about 10 minutes, we pulled up to the Berbil village, and Ro-Bear Belle was there to greet us.

"ThunderCats, thank heavens you're here. She's just not responding to our medicine, and she keeps calling out for her 'lion man'." She said and both Panthro and I stiffened; lion man?! She wasn't talking about... me, was she? And who was this girl that Ro-Bear Belle was talking about?

"Lead the way, Ro-Bear Belle." Panthro said, and she led us into the building closest to use and led us to a room all the way in the back with the doorway covered by a thick blanket. When we walked into the room behind her, Panthro swore while I froze in shock; it was the girl that Kit and Kat saw at Castle Plun-Darr!

Her hair was limp and stuck against the side of her face, matted with sweat and blood, giving a sickly look to it. Her skin was almost completely devoid of color with the exception of her cheeks,which were bright red from sickness. Her face was covered in sweat and her breath was labored, as if she was unable to get enough oxygen. Her chest was wrapped in bandages and a blanket covered her from stomach down, but what concerned me were the bandages being bright red.

"Panthro... what should we do?" I asked, and the girl gasped as her eyes flew open. Her head turned towards me and, with dull eyes, stared right at my face.

"Lion... man..." She managed to get out before her eyes slipped closed and she shuddered.

"Lion-O, we need to get her back to Cat's Lair, and fast; otherwise, she's not going to make it. I'll get the Thunder Tank ready, and you grab the girl." He ordered and then vanished.

Walking over, I knelt down and carefully slid my arms underneath her; her back was bare save for the bandages, and her skin was hot to the touch. She shivered as some of the cool morning air hit her skin, and I quickly brought her up to my chest, where she curled up against me and her left hand rested against my chest. She shivered again and I covered her up before darting out to the ThunderTank and jumping in it.

"Back to Cat's Lair, Panthro, and quickly!"

~EMMA'S P.O.V.~

~ENTER DREAM~

_I was surrounded by nothing but darkness, and I didn't like it; the darkness felt too oppressive, too ominous, too... silent. I looked around, hoping to see something other than darkness, but to no avail._

" _Hello! Can anyone hear me?!"I cried out, but there was no answer. I began to panic and started to run, for I didn't like the silence; it reminded me too much of my time in the mutants' "care". Out of nowhere, a blue light filled the space and I was forced to shield my eyes._

" _Hello, Emma." I heard a male voice and when I unshielded my eyes, I saw a male jaguar standing in front of me, with blue light surrounding his. He wore what looked to be a loin cloth that had been neatly trimmed and had a strip of fabric going up his stomach and chest, connecting to a cloak and a horned helmet adorned his head. Sitting on his chest was the same roaring cat symbol that was on my pendant._

" _Am I... dead?" I asked and he laughed._

" _No, young Emma, you are not. You are severely injured, but not dead, and if the ThunderCats have anything to say about it, you're not going to die, either." He said firmly and I jolted in shock; do what?!_

" _I'm sorry, but what?! How do_ you  _know about them?! I thought that they only existed in my dreams!" I exclaimed and he gave me a kind smile._

" _I am Jaga, young Emma, and you have a great destiny that awaits you. Unfortunately, that is all that I can tell you at this time. Just know that whenever you need help, all you need do is ask, young one." He said and I just gaped at him._

" _Seriously?! That's all that you can tell me right now?!" I exclaimed and he gave me a patient smile; damn, this dude acted like someone who was used to giving people advice._

" _Peace, young Emma. You will not be alone, for you will have the ThunderCats-Cheetara, Lion-O, Panthro, Tygra and the kittens WilyKat and WilyKit to help you on your journey." He said and I froze in place; Lion-O..._

" _Lion-O... you mean the lion man that I've been dreaming of? That's his name?" I asked and Jaga nodded._

" _That is correct, young one. You are meant to be his Protector, and that is not a duty to be taken lightly. You will face all kinds of danger on your path, but just remember that you are not alone, even during the times where you feel like you are. When you are healed, your training will begin. Until then, heed these words; never lose faith in yourself, and always trust in your judgement."He said before wrapping himself up in his cloak and vanishing._

" _Wait, come back! Don't leave me here...alone..."I said, raising my hand towards the darkness, before lowering it. Sitting down, I just stared at my lap before I was suddenly enveloped in white._

_~_ END DREAM~

My eyes refused to open, and I was surrounded by movement. Occasionally, I would feel pressure as if someone was touching me, but I couldn't really feel anything besides heat; the heat that seemed to encompass my entire body and felt as if my body had been set aflame.

"Cheetara, she feels as if she's burning up!" I heard a young girl claim, and I moaned when a cold hand rested softly on my head.

"You're right, WilyKit. WilyKat, go and get Tygra and tell him that you need to find these herbs." I heard an older woman say before the sound of pencil on paper filled the air and then footsteps scampering out of the room before I faded into darkness again.

The next time my mind returned to consciousness, heat was mostly gone, but the pain was still there.

Struggling against the pain, I finally managed to open my eyes and immediately saw that I was in a completely white room. With a small grunt of pain, I was able to push myself up into an upright position. Looking myself over, I noticed that my left arm was sporting a splint and was bound against my chest. Breathing was hard; my chest felt as if I'd been mule kicked by a horse before said horse sat on me. I lowered my head but hissed in pain as I felt the junction between my neck and right shoulder flared with heat.

Taking a deep breath, I lowered my head slowly and noticed that I was bare except for my chest being bandaged from top to waist, a bandage sitting on the right junction of my neck, and my legs were covered with a sheet. Picking the sheet up, I noticed that I was wearing a pair of loose white pants and I heaved a sigh; at least I wasn't completely naked. Looking around, I noticed a window with daylight shining through it, and so I slowly swung my legs over the side of the bed. Slowly and carefully pushing myself up, I went to take a step and my knees buckled, sending me to the floor.

"OW! Son of a bitch, that hurts!" I cussed, my kness throbbing and I growled in aggravation; dammit! Taking a deep breath, I turned and grabbed the bed with my right hand. Sighing, I pulled myself back onto the bed and stared hard at the wall; I'm pretty sure that I was no longer at Castle Plun-Darr since the mutants didn't care whether their slaves lived or not, so how did I get here? Suddenly, the memories came flying back, and my eyes widened; that's right! The lion from my dreams had busted the Brutemen and I from our cells before the mutants released some weird ass gas, which made all of us lose our shit. As I sat there, pondering where the hell I was at, I heard a car start up outside; huh. I got up, my legs less shaky that before, and walked over to the window in time to see a silver car go flying over a drawbridge, and then go wild; oh shit! I headed for the door, and semi-ran, semi-walked, out, trying to find the front door.

As I approached a door, I saw a male blue panther run out of a room and I followed him outside. I stopped and sat down on the steps as he jumped off the steps, and followed the car. He jumped in front of it and as it came bearing down at him, he jumped up and landed inside of it; color me impressed. As it came to a stop near a ravine that I just noticed, I gingerly sat down with the wall right next to my right shoulder so that I could lean against it. It sat there for a couple minutes before it drove away from the edge and made its way across a drawbridge that I didn't even see; dammit I was seriously slacking! The car came to a stop in front of the steps, with its back facing the steps, and the panther jumped out. The panther took a couple steps before turning around to face it.

"The trouble with joy riding is that it uses up Thundrillium, and we're starting to run short." He said, his words carrying, as said-joy rider jumped out and I nearly choked on my spit when I saw a familiar scarlet mane; it was the lion from my dreams!

"We brought a supply from Thundera, didn't we?" The lion asked.

"Not enough to last us that much longer, so we'll need to look around to see if any exists on this planet." The panther replied. Resting my head against the wall as the warm sun started to make me sleepy, I closed my eyes for a couple minutes, enjoying the feeling, before opening them again, only to see both panther and lion disappear under... an upraised paw?! Okay,  _now_  I'm curious. Slowly standing up, I made my way down the steps, walked over to the bridge, and then turned around, only to gape in amazement; holy shit!

The building that was sitting in front of me was basically a large cat. The body was white with the same emblem sitting on its chest. The head was blue, the eyes were red, and its mouth was open in a roar. The paws were blue as well, and from the one being raised up, I'm assuming that the other paw could do the same.

"Whoa..." I said, not able to think of another word, before I heard a shout.

"HEY! What in the blazes are you doing out here?!" Blinking, I looked towards the paw to see that neither the panther nor the lion had gone inside, as I had thought. Both came racing over and my muscles tensed; what were they going to do?!

"You were seriously injured when we brought you here from the Berbil Village; you have any idea as to how long you were out?!" The panther exclaimed, and I blinked in shock, my muscles relaxing; huh?!

"Um... no? Who are the Berbils, and where the hell am I?" I asked and the lion blinked.

"What's the last thing that you remember?" He asked carefully, his face an open book; he was worried.

"The mutants releasing some kind of weird gas that made everyone down in the dungeons go insane, including... The Brutemen! Are they still slaves at the castle?!" I asked frantically, my muscles tensing again out of worry for them due to the fact that they were so gentle they literally couldn't hurt a fly.

"They're fine; we set them free after we sent the mutants packing." The panther said and I sighed in relief.

"That's good." I said before my knees buckled; guess that's all I had for strength.

My butt didn't even have the chance to hit the ground before the lion's arms were swooping underneath me and the next thing I knew, I was being cradled against his chest.

"Easy now; you've been unconscious for about four weeks. You need to take it easy." The panther said, and I looked at him in shock; do what?!

"I've been out for almost a month?!" I exclaimed and the panther nodded.

"The kittens have been constantly checking up on you; I bet they'll be glad to know that you're doing better." He said and then something seemed to have occured to him, because he began to rub his chin. "You know, we haven't introduced ourselves. Lion-O, take her to the council room so that we can all introduce ourselves and we won't be strangers to each other." He suggested. I looked up and watched as Lion-O nodded.

"Um... Can I get down? I wanna walk; otherwise it'll take even longer for me to get my strength back." I said as Lion-O began heading for the building and he shook his head.

"I'd rather carry you so that you won't potentially fall and hurt yourself." He said and I groaned before leaning my head against his chest; I could feel and hear his heart beat against the right side of my face.

"Thank you... for saving me from the mutants." I said, my face growing warm as I kept my eyes off of him, which meant that if he looked down at me, I wouldn't know.

"You're welcome. How long did they have you as a slave?" He asked as he reached the bottom of the stairs; I shifted my right shoulder to try and make it easier for him to breathe.

"I'm not... entirely sure. All I know is that a few weeks before they snatched me from my planet, I had just turned 21." I said and he paused. I looked up at him, confused, only to see him staring at me with his eyes thoughtful.

"When is your birthday?" He asked.  **(A/N: I'm gonna use actual months since time wasn't exactly discussed in the show.)**

"My birthday is May 8th; why?" I asked and his eyes widened.

"It's... It's October." He said and shock filled my body; what?!

"I've been...in mutant hands... for 5 months?" I asked and fell into my thoughts.

I was dimly aware of Lion-O setting me down and then I lost track of time as I fell into my thoughts; I'd seriously been away from my home for 5 months?! Apparently, I'd completely lost track of time because a hand landing on my shoulder caused me to jerk out of my head and my eyes flew up to meet worried scarlet eyes; Lion-O was looking at me.

"Are you okay?" He asked and I blinked before quickly shaking my head.

"I... I will be. It's a bit much to learn that I'd been snatched from my home and made into a slave for almost half a year." I said and heard multiple gasps. Looking around, I saw a full-grown female cheetah, a full-grown male tiger and a young set of wildcat twins-one boy and one girl-looking at me in a mixture of horror and pity.

"You... you were taken from your home? What planet was it? Maybe we can take you home eventually." The female wildcat said and I looked up, only to see that I'd been carried inside and was now in a large round room, sitting in a chair at a round table.

"My planet was called Xervas." I said and silence filled the room; I looked at everyone and noticed that everyone except for Lion-O was looking at each other nervously. The looks alone were enough to send dread and unease through me. "What... what's wrong?" I asked and the cheetah looked at me.

"Xervas... Xervas was destroyed 10 years ago." She said and I stiffened in shock and horror; do what?!

"What do you mean, it was _destroyed_ 10 years ago? You mean that I've been gone from my home for  _years_ instead of _months_?" I asked and all but Lion-O looked at each other nervously before the tiger stepped forward, looking sympathetic.

"Xervas was a neighboring planet for our own planet, Thundera, but when Thundera exploded, bits of Thundera slammed into Xervas, causing its destruction as well." He said gently, and my blood stopped flowing; my planet...

"Grandma Terice... is gone?" I asked, coldness flooding my system and the panther looked at me sharply before looking at the cheetah.

"Cheetara, get ready; she looks like she's about to faint." He said, but he was wrong; I wasn't going to faint.

Instead, the cold faded, only to be replaced with white-hot rage. Because of those damned mutants, I could never go home. I can't blame these cat people, because of the fact that they couldn't control their planet blowing up, but I  _could_  and I  _would_  blame the mutants. My right hand tightened into a fist and started shaking as my anger only grew. Suddenly, a small hand came into view and rested softly onto my right hand; my head jerked up and my eyes rested on the girl wildcat with her brother right behind her.

"It's okay; I understand. Your planet is gone, as is your family, but it's okay; you have us, the ThunderCats, to help you with it." She said softly, and the rage was quenched as sorrow replaced it; my shoulders started quaking and I lowered my head as tears threatened to spill down my face. I faintly heard footsteps of people moving and the next thing I knew, two sets of small arms were wrapped around my shoulders and that did it; I lost control and tears were spilling down my cheeks as my shoulders began quaking, my mind swept up in the sorrow and loss of my last family member; both of my parents had been only children, and I had been an only child as well. I'm not sure as to how long I'd been crying, but it felt like an eternity when my eyes finally ran dry and I sniffled, not knowing when I had closed my eyes, and opened them to see that the other adults had left and the two wildcat kids were the ones hugging me.

"Are you feeling better?" The girl said and I shook my head, wiping my eyes with my right hand.

"No, but the loss never completely goes away; it just becomes easier with time." I said and the boy looked at me.

"Have you lost family members before?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yeah; my parents were killed about 13 years ago when the mutants attacked my planet." I said and the girl scowled.

"Those stinking mutants! Why can't they just leave people alone?!" She demanded and I shrugged before my belly released an enormous growl; my face turned red as the kids laughed.

"We should probably get her something to eat, WilyKit." The boy said and I looked at them.

"I'm so sorry; I've completely forgotten my manners. My name is Emma Rossin." I said and the kids smiled.

"I'm WilyKat and this is my sister WilyKit." The boy said and I held my right hand out; they reached out as well and clasped my hand.

"It's nice to meet you guys. Now, about some food?" I said, sad that I was never going to be able to see my great-grandmother again but knowing that if I fell into a depression because of it she would find a way to leave the afterlife to come and kick my ass, so as hard as it would be, I was determined to leave my grief behind.

"We'll show you to the kitchen. Normally Snarf cooks, but he's gone with Lion-O and the others to try and find some fuel for the lair." WilyKit said as I stood up.

"Lead the way." I said with a flourish and WilyKit giggled as WilyKat led the way out of the room. Occasionally, I had to stop to rest because it was easy for me to get winded, but we eventually made it to the kitchen where I was forced to sit down as the twins brought me strange colored fruit and then sat down next to me before asking me questions.

For the next few hours, I sat there in the kitchen, talking to the kittens and answering their questions. I lost track of time and was so enamored in listening to the kittens in describing to me what Thundera was like before it blew up that when the kitchen door slid open, all three of us jumped; my head spun around as I instinctively placed my body between the door and the kids, only to blink in shock as the adults walked in, with a weird cat creature sitting on Lion-O's shoulder.

"Oh, here you guys are! We were wondering where you three were." The tiger said and I relaxed, only noticing now that my body was not liking all the moving around that I've been doing.

"Tygra, is it me or do you look a little... younger?" WilyKat asked and the tiger Tygra started laughing.

"I prefer being younger to how old I'd gotten only two hours ago." He said and my jaw dropped; do what?!

"Um... how the hell is that possible?" I asked and Lion-O looked at me.

"There's a place called the Cave of Time that causes whoever enters it to age drastically. We were able to save Tygra when Cheetara ran in, grabbed him and brought him out. Then, we had to take him to the Geyser of Life to restore him to his proper age." Lion-O said and I blinked in shock.

"Wow... Are your days usually  _this_  eventful?" I asked and he laughed, causing the cat creature to almost fall off his shoulder.

"Lion-O, be careful! I'm sitting up here, you know!" The creature scolded in a male voice and I jumped in shock; it can talk?!

"Oh, sorry Snarf." Lion-O said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, and I looked at the twins in confusion.

"Um... Clarification, please?" I asked and WilyKat looked at me.

"Emma, this is Lion-O, Lord of the ThunderCats. Sitting on his shoulder is his longtime nanny Snarf. That's Panthro, Cheetara, and Tygra." He said, pointing to each one in turn and I nodded. "ThunderCats, this is Emma." He finished and Cheetara smiled kindly at me.

"How are you feeling, Emma?" She asked and I yawned, surprised at how tired I suddenly felt; how late was it?

"I'm actually starting to get a little tired." I said, and she nodded.

"You're still healing, so that's to be expected. Kits, why don't you show her to her room?" She asked Kit and Kat-as they've asked me to call them-and they both nodded.

"Sure thing, Cheetara. Come along Emma." Kit said and I followed them after bidding everyone else night. Once the kits led me to my room and bid me night, I walked in and walked over to the bed.

Looking at it, I carefully sat down, and manuvered myself underneath the blanket, curled up on my right side, before promptly passing out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last of what I had up on ff.net. Now I get to type it on this phone; yay.... Enjoy and let me know what you think.


	4. Pumm-Ra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma meets other characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOTS of angst.

~EMMA'S P.O.V~

~ENTER DREAM~

_I sat on the top step in front of the Lair, watching Snarf play with WilyKit and WilyKat, debating on whether I should keep something secret or make it a surprise for a certain someone. I was enjoying the warm sun on my face and a nice breeze combing my hair with its fingers when a shadow fell over me; I looked up to see Lion-O, that certain someone, staring down at me with a tender look on his face._

 

_"What?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow and he merely shook his head before sitting behind me and wrapped his arms around me. We sat there in silence, enjoying the warm summer day, watching the Thunderkittens playing with Snarf._

 

_"So… when would you want one?" Lion-O suddenly asked and I looked over my shoulder at him._

 

_"One what?" I asked and he gestured at the kittens. "Oh, a baby? Um… I don't know." I said vaguely, looking back at the kittens, still debating._

 

_"No rush; I'm just curious. You're so good with WilyKat and WilyKit that I assumed you would be wanting a baby soon." Lion-O said and I rested my head against his chest._

 

_"Well, I'm not sure how long the gestation for you Thunderians is, but for humans its 9 months, and we have about 5 or 6 months left, so… I guess we better decide whether we hope for a boy or a girl." I said, dropping a hint, and Lion-O heaved a sigh._

 

_"I'll ask Cheetara, cause she probably knows more about the gestation of Thunderians, and since we only have about 5 or 6... months…" He dwindled off and I turned my head so that I could watch his face; sure enough, he must've caught the hint because he froze before his eyes darted down to look at my face, before darting down to my midsection. "Wait, are you…" He dwindled off again and I smiled. "Wait, seriously?!" He exclaimed and I nodded._

 

_"Yup; Cheetara confirmed it this morning. Since the baby will be mixed, we're not sure how long, so we're playing it by ear." I said and then, suddenly, I felt myself being pulled off the step, spun and then lips were melding with mine. The kiss was hot and hungry, and I could feel how much the knowledge of my carrying his child and heir turned him on. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against mine, his ginger-orange eyes bright with love and lust._

 

_"You have no idea how thrilled I am to hear that you're carrying. I mean, I had hoped that you would consider maybe having a child with me sometime in the future, but…" He dwindled off and I smiled at him before running my fingers through his scarlet mane._

 

_"Lion-O, I have always wanted children, but I wasn't sure when would be a good time, with either the mutants or Mumm-Ra almost always attacking. It's unexpected, but not unwelcome; I'll just have to be more careful." I said and he pulled me into another hug._

 

_"I swear that I won't let anything happen to you, or the baby." He swore and I smiled as I nuzzled in the crook of his neck._

 

_"I think you mean babies; I'm carrying twins." I said and he froze._

 

~END DREAM~

My eyes slowly opened and I just stared at the wall; what the hell?! Grr…. These dreams needed to just stop.

 

**_"They'll stop when you fulfill your destiny, my child."_** I shot up into a sitting position and was treated to the sigh

 

"My destiny? You mean, becoming Lion-O's protector?" I asked and he nodded. "But then why do most of my dreams involve the two of us becoming, er… intimate?" I asked, face growing hot, and Jaga chuckled.

 

**_"That, my child, you will have to find out for yourself."_ **He stated as he wrapped his cloak around himself before vanishing; I glared at the now empty spot.

 

"Gee, thanks a lot." I growled before sighing and climbed out of bed.

 

I'd been living at the Lair for not quite a month now, and it was now November; I kept waiting for snow to fall, but apparently the snow only fell around Hook Mountain. My left arm was almost healed, but I had to keep a splint on it just to give it more support.

 

I walked over to the window, leaned out a bit and looked out to see Lion-O standing at the bottom of the stairs with the twins. Just then, Lion-O's head snapped up and I watched as his ginger-orange eyes landed on me; his face broke into a smile and he waved at me. As I waved back, the twins looked up.

 

"Hey, Emma! It's about time you woke up!" WilyKit yelled up at me and I laughed.

 

"Sorry; I didn't sleep well. Give me about 5 minutes to get dressed." I called down before pulling my upper half back inside and walked over to the closet.

 

Pulling out a purple one sleeve shirt, a pair of dark blue jeans and a fresh bra and a pair of underwear, I quickly changed out of my night clothes and carefully redressed, making sure to not bump my splint. Pulling on socks and boots, I tapped my toes against the floor to make sure that my boots were firmly on before leaving my room.

 

Navigating my way through the Lair, in which I still get lost at times, I finally found my way outside and walked down the steps, Lion-O and the twins waiting for me at the bottom.

 

"Come on, Lion-O; you promised us a ride." WilyKit said and I looked at Lion-O in surprise.

 

"You're taking the twins for a ride in the ThunderTank?" I asked and he nodded.

 

"Yes, but, well, we've got to wait for Cheetara; she said she'd be here. Funny, she's never been late before." Lion-O said right as the ThunderTank pulled up. Upon hearing Lion-O's words, both Tygra and Panthro jumped out.

 

"Cheetara, late? That's like the sun forgetting to set." Panthro said and Lion-O nodded, face grim.

 

"We'll give her another five minutes." He said and both Tygra and Panthro nodded in agreement.

 

"Well, nice to see you finally out of bed today." Tygra said, turning to me, and I scowled at him.

 

"I didn't sleep well last night." I asked and Panthro looked at me.

 

"Any idea what caused it?" He asked and I shrugged, not wanting to discuss my dreams with anybody quite yet.

 

"It happens whenever the moon gets full; I don't sleep well during the full moon." I said, which is kinda true.

 

"Hope you're not a werewolf; would hate to have a **dog** in Cats' Lair." Panthro said, his tone of voice teasing, and I gave him a flat look.

 

"Don't worry; even if I was a werewolf, you would be the last one on my list of people to bite." I said drily and everyone laughed as Panthro gave me a droll look.

 

"Why, afraid that I might be too much for you?" He asked and I gave him an evil smirk.

 

"Nah; you're not my type." I said and he gaped at me as Tygra roared with laughter, while Lion-O and the twins looked confused.

 

"Panthro, what does she mean by that?" Lion-O asked and I looked at him, a little bit confused myself.

 

"Um… how old are you, Lion-O?" I asked and Tygra, finally over his laughing fit, wiped tears out of his eyes.

 

"Physically, he's 24. Mentally, he's 12; we fled Thundera 10 years ago and were in suspension capsules during those 10 years. However, Lion-O's capsule malfunctioned and while his body aged, his mind did not. Now, he has matured a bit, but he still has childish moments." He explained and I nodded, befuddled surprise written on my face.

 

"Then… how did I not age while in the Mutants' ship?" I asked.

 

"I can answer that. The Mutants have technology installed in their ship that prevents aging. They don't have suspension capsules; just suspension fields." Panthro answered and I pursed my lips.

 

"Kinda makes sense, but at the same time it doesn't." I replied and WilyKat shrugged.

 

"Anything that the mutants do, doesn't make sense." He said and I nodded.

 

"Yeah, that's true." I replied and Tygra turned away from the Lair.

 

"It's been 5 minutes; we should go look for Cheetara." He said and I turned towards the Lair.

 

"You guys go; I'm gonna go and get myself something to eat. I'll be waiting for you guys when you get back." I said and the kittens jumped to my side.

 

"We'll stay with Emma to keep her company." WilyKit said and I shook my head.

 

"No, you two should go with them; they can use all the help they can get. I can't go, since I have a bum arm, and I still don't know my way around Third Earth." I said and Tygra stepped forward.

 

"You're right Emma, but you also shouldn't be here alone; someone should stay with you." He said and I thinned my mouth.

 

_**"You should go with Lion-O, young Emma."**_ I heard Jaga's voice and I spun around, looking for him but he was nowhere to be seen.

 

"You okay, Emma?" WilyKat asked and I nodded.

 

"I'm fine. Um, would it be okay if I tagged along with Lion-O and Snarf?" I asked and Snarf made a purring noise.

 

"Not on an empty stomach it's not. Come with me to the kitchen and I'll make you a snack to take on the road with us." He said, walking towards the stairs and I sighed before following him up. "You're still young; you need to eat to recover your strength." Snarf said and I gave him a wry glance.

 

Once we reached the kitchen, he set about making a sandwich with some fruit on the side. Once he was done and he packed everything in a small box, he turned and handed it to me.

 

"Thank you, Snarf." I said and he purred before we turned and I followed him back to the others.

 

"Emma, why are you following Snarf? Don't you know your way around Cat's Lair?" Lion-O asked once Snarf and I were back outside. My face turned crimson in embarrassment and I rubbed the back of my head with my right hand.

 

"Um… not really. I sometimes get lost." I admitted and Panthro chuckled.

 

"I would like to see that! You've been here how long?" He asked and I shot him an unamused look.

 

"Not as long as you, **Gramps**." I shot back and Tygra roared with laughter as Panthro stumbled.

 

"Gramps?! I'm not that old." He said as everyone gathered around.

 

"You're not? Huh. I guess I imagined the white hair that I see growing on your face." I teased and everyone started laughing.

 

"Ha ha, very funny. Now, Tygra and I will take the ThunderTank and explore the area we last saw Cheetara. WilyKat, you and Kit take the West sector. Lion-O, you, Emma and Snarf will take the forest." Panthro said.

 

"How will we signal each other if we've found her?" I asked, crossing my arms.

 

"We'll meet back here in 3 hours." Panthro said and everyone nodded.

 

I followed Lion-O and Snarf into the forest and for about an hour, all I did was stare at the surrounding forest.

 

"Hey, Emma?" I jumped and whipped my head around to look at Lion-O, who was the one to call my name.

 

"Yes?" I asked and he glanced back at me over his shoulder.

 

"What was your planet like?" He asked and I slipped my hands into my pocket as I chewed on my bottom lip thoughtfully.

 

"Well… Xervas wasn't a very big planet. If I remember correctly, there were only about 5 continents, and only 3 supported life because the fourth was used for farming while the fifth was filled with bandits; the fifth continent was considered lawless, so all of the criminals were sent there to live. There wasn't much forest, but there were a few parks for kids to run around and play." I said, increasing my speed until I was walking next to Lion-O.

 

"Do you miss it?" He asked and I closed my eyes with a sigh.

 

"Well… yes and no." I said and he made a confused noise, to which I opened my eyes and looked at him. "Yes I miss it, because it was my home. But no, I don't miss it because there was really nothing there. My great-grandmother Terice died shortly after I turned 20, after she gave me this necklace. After she passed, I didn't have any other family members and I was a bit of a loner. I took jobs guarding the farmlands from the bandits that occasionally came over from the fifth continent." I said, turning my head back around to face forward. "The only thing that I really regret is that I left my weapon behind when I was snagged by the mutants."

 

"What kind of weapon was it? Maybe Panthro can make you a new one." Lion-O suggested and I shook my head.

 

"He can't. My weapon was one that had been passed down through my family. It was a double-bladed naginata." I said and then sighed. "Oh well. Maybe I can learn a new type of weaponry."

 

"Nonsense. I'm almost certain that, between Panthro and Tygra, we can get you a new naginata." Lion-O said and I sent him a weak smile.

 

"That's sweet of you to suggest, but you will have to forgive me if I don't hold my breath." I said and as he blushed, he also sent me a confused look.

 

"What do you mean 'you won't hold your breath'?" He asked and I sighed before looking away.

 

"It means that I'm not going to get my hopes up, only for them to get crushed." I replied and then stopped as we came to a fast-flowing river.

 

"Well, we can no longer go any further. If we do, we'll be crossing into the Warrior Maidens of the Tree Top Kingdom." Lion-O said and I looked at him.

 

"Maybe they've seen Cheetara. It couldn't hurt to ask them, could it?" I asked and Lion-O met my gaze before looking across the river.

 

"You're right, Emma. Willa, are you there?!" Lion-O called out. After about five minutes, a woman came flying in on a vine. When she landed, she turned to look at us, mistrust heavy in her brown eyes and I was able to take in her appearance.

 

She had long dark brown, almost black, hair that was pulled into a ponytail that rested on her left shoulder. She wore a brown dress with wraps around her wrists, ankles and shins. She had a bow and arrow resting on her back and a horn on her right hip. In the right side of her hair rested a bright red flower.

 

"Lion-O, what are you doing here, and who is this girl?" She asked, turning mistrustful eyes to me, and I coolly met her gaze.

 

"Willa, this is Emma; she's staying with us at Cat's Lair. Willa, have you seen Cheetara today? She went for her morning run and hasn't returned yet." He said and Willa looked back at him.

 

"Your cheetah friend? No, I have not. Why is Emma staying with you? She is human; she should be with her village." Willa said and I flinched before looking down, a knot forming in my throat.

 

"Emma's village was… destroyed about 10 years ago. She was held as a slave by the mutants during that time; we rescued her about a month or two ago from Castle Plun-Darr." Lion-O explained and some of the mistrust faded from her eyes as sorrow replaced it.

 

"I'm sorry for your loss." She said sincerely and I merely nodded, unable to get sound out past the knot.

 

"Well, if you see Cheetara, please let her know to come home; we're very worried. Thank you, Willa." Lion-O said as he rested a hand on my right shoulder and gently turned me around.

 

"Of course. Farewell, Lion-O and Emma." I heard her say as we walked away. We walked in silence, with Snarf walking next to me.

 

"Don't let Willa get to you, Emma; she's the queen of the Warrior Maidens and therefore she has to see enemies everywhere she turns in order to protect her people." Snarf said and I nodded before taking a deep breath and lifted my head.

 

"Thanks, Snarf. I'll be fine… eventually." I said before falling back into silence.

 

When we returned to the Lair, it was late afternoon and not only was the ThunderTank back, but Cheetara was also there, and she had a newcomer, a male, with her.

 

"Cheetara, you're back!" Lion-O cried out and both him and Snarf took off, racing towards her. I followed at a more sedate pace, tired out from the trek in the woods. Walking across the drawbridge, I paused by the kittens, who immediately hugged me the second I stopped, which gave me the chance to eye the new Thunderean; something about him rubbed me the wrong way.

 

He appeared to be a puma and he was covered in brown fur, with darker brown hair. He wore a white and red toga that went over his right shoulder and wrapped around his left forearm and ended above his knees. He was barefoot, with his feet being dark brown. He wore a gold bangle around his left bicep and his right eye was covered with a black eyepatch; his left eye was a cold brown color. I blinked and then stiffened and inhaled sharply in shock when he was suddenly replaced.

 

In his place was a 9 foot tall demonic-looking mummy. He was blue-skinned with a red circle in the middle of his bare chest with a pair of black snakes entwined with each other. He wore a golden helmet with a snake on either side and he had a few bandages wrapped around his midsection and forearms. He wore a blue and red skirt and brown-furred boots with open toes. He had a red and blue cape that was attached to four gold bangles, one on each wrist and one on each bicep. His eyes were a menacing red and his teeth were sharp and. Overall, he looked like an undead sorcerer from ages past. Did no one else _see_ this?!

 

"Emma, what's wrong? You're pale and covered in sweat all of a sudden." I blinked and the image returned back to that of the puma. I looked down at the kittens and mentally shook myself.

 

"Sorry; I'm just tired from my trip into the forest. I'm gonna go lay down for a bit. Please come wake me up when it's time for dinner." I said and then quickly slipped away and started heading for the stairs. As I walked passed the puma, his head turned to follow me and I glared at him from the corner of my narrowed eyes.

 

_'I don't trust him.'_ I decided before returning to my room. Once in my room, I locked the door and lied down on my back on my bed. Closing my eyes, I drifted off into sleep for a few hours before someone knocked on my door, rousing me.

 

"Emma, you awake? It's me, WilyKat. Panthro wants you to join us in the council chamber room." WilyKat's voice came through the door and I sat up, stretching.

 

"Give me a second." I said before standing up.

 

Walking over to the door, I unlocked and opened it, revealing a worried WilyKat.

 

"Are you feeling any better, Emma? Lion-O was worried about you when you left so suddenly." He said and I sighed.

 

"I'll explain everything in the council room. For now, lead on." I said and Kat nodded before turning and walking away, with me following after closing my bedroom door.

 

Once we reached the council room, Lion-O turned and looked at me.

 

"Emma! Are you okay? You didn't overexert yourself earlier, did you?" He asked and I shook my head.

 

"Not really. I just… I saw something really bizarre when we got back from the forest." I said and Lion-O frowned before pulling out a chair and motioned for me to sit down. "Oh… Thank you, Lion-O." I said and sat down; Lion-O took the seat next to me.

 

"Although Lord Lion-O leads us, Jaga chose me to be the head of the ThunderCats council." Tygra stated, standing up. "This puma has apparently saved Cheetara's life… and he appears to be one of us." He finished and Panthro looked at Cheetara.

 

"Have you anything more to say, Cheetara? You didn't actually see him before you fainted, did you?" He asked, raising his hands, amd Cheetara shook her head.

 

"No, that's true. But when I awoke-" Lion-O cut her off.

 

"I vote we take him in." He said and I jerked back to give him a weird look; he really _was_ a child in a man's body!

 

**_"Be not hasty in your decisions, Lion-O."_** My head snapped up as Jaga appeared, and it looked like the rest could see him as well. **_"Your instincts may be correct, but one does not make decisions by instinct alone. Let the facts weigh heavily on your mind, and listen to your peers with caution."_** Jaga advised before disappearing.

 

"You are right, Jaga. I guess I should take more time in making important decisions. Tygra, how will you vote?" Lion-O asked, looking at said tiger, who placed a hand on the table as he looked at Lion-O.

 

"I vote to give the puma a week's probation." He said, lifting a finger, before looking at Panthro.

 

"A trial period? Yes, I agree. If he is who and what he says he is… he should have no objection." Panthro replied and Cheetara smiled as she stood up.

 

"Yes. I guess we cannot take our sacred trust lightly." She stated and then looked at me. "What do you think, Emma?" She asked and I looked at all four full-grown ThunderCats.

 

"I… I don't trust him. I know you guys are going to think that I'm crazy, but…" I drifted off before shaking my head and meeting their gazes with a look of determination. "Earlier, outside, for a few minutes, I didn't see a puma, but what appeared to be a mummified sorcerer who was disguised as the puma." I stated and Lion-O straightened with shock.

 

"A mummified sorcerer?! What did he look like?!" He exclaimed and I looked at him.

 

"Blue skin, red eyes, a golden war helmet with snakes on top. He wore a red and blue skirt with a matching cape that was attached to four gold bangles on his arms. He wore strange brown furred shoes that didn't have soles, toes or heels and he had a red spot with snakes that were entwined on his chest." I explained and almost all of the Thundereans, sans Snarf, looked at each other, leaving me with a sinking feeling in my stomach. "You don't believe me… do you?" I asked and Panthro looked at me.

 

"It's not that we don't believe you, it's just… the thing that you describe is a being called Mumm-Ra the Ever-Living, and we've only seen him once before, when we first arrived here on Third Earth. None of us saw what you saw earlier, so we'll still give the puma a week's probation but we'll keep a close eye on him. After all, he could very well be a fellow Thunderean, and so we must give him the benefit of the doubt." Panthro said and hot shame filled me at the reminder that I wasn't one of them.

 

"Very well. Whatever you say." I said, sitting back.

 

"So say you all?" Tygra asked and when he got nods, the six of them stacked their hands in the middle of the table.

 

"By the Code of Thundera!" They cried and I silently stood up and left, heading back to my room.

 

_'Whatever. I tried to warn them, but they wouldn't listen to me. If anything happens… I reserve the right to say I Told You So.'_ I thought before stepping into my room and locking the door behind me. Changing into a knee-length dark grey nightgown, I crawled into bed and closed my eyes.

 

~NEXT MORNING~

Knocking on my door woke me up, but I kept still, refusing to make any noise.

 

"Kat, she seemed awfully upset that we didn't take her seriously yesterday during the meeting." I heard WilyKit's voice drift through the door.

 

"Kit, it's not that we didn't take her serious; it's that the _adults_ didn't believe her, and they probably made her feel like an outcast because of the fact that she's not a Thunderean. Can you imagine how that would feel?" WilyKat replied and it was silent for a few minutes outside my door.

 

"What are you kids doing outside Emma's door?" I heard Lion-O's voice and I stiffened but still didn't make a sound.

 

"We're trying to check on her; you guys didn't see it, but she left the council chamber room quietly and rather quickly. Kit and I think that she may be upset because it looked like no one believed her." Kat explained.

 

"It's not that no one believed her; it's just that no one else saw what she's claiming she saw." Lion-O explained and my hands tightened into fists.

 

"But Lion-O, you didn't see her turn pale within a matter of minutes, and her face had a look of terror on it! She must have seen something that the rest of us didn't!" Kit exclaimed and I heard Lion-O heave a sigh.

 

"I understand your concern, but if she's wrong, then she'll need to apologize to him once the week is over." He said and fury surged through me.

 

"And what if we're wrong and she's right?" Kit asked and there was silence in the hall for a few minutes.

 

"Well… I guess we'll all owe her an apology for not taking her concerns seriously. Now, come along; Panthro is about to tell Pumm-Ra our decision." Lion-O said and I bit my lip to keep from saying anything out of anger. After a couple minutes, I threw my blanket off of me and got out of bed. Walking over to my dresser, I grabbed a lavender-colored tank top, a pair of dark blue Capris and a fresh set of undergarments and jumped into the shower. After dressing and making sure that my necklace was hidden under my shirt, I walked out of my bathroom only to see Lion-O standing at my window, staring out it; I narrowed my eyes in irritation.

 

"Can I help you?" I asked, voice bland, and he jumped.

 

"Oh, Emma! Um, Cheetara asked me to bring you to the council room." Lion-O said. I gave him a bland look before walking over to the top drawer and pulled out socks. Pulling them and then my boots on, I tapped the toes against the floor to make sure that they were firmly on before turning to face Lion-O with a blank face. I watched as he flinched before I swept my arm towards the door.

 

"Lead the way, Lord Lion-O." I said and he gave me a wounded look as he flinched again before walking out the door; I followed him out, locking my bedroom door behind me.

 

I followed him quietly down to the council room. Once we walked in, Lion-O went and sat down at the round table with the other Thunereans, sans Snarf, while I merely stood in the corner closest to the door, my back in the corner. After about five minutes, Snarf walked in with Pumm-Ra right behind him. Jumping into the window, Snarf lied down while Pumm-Ra joined the others at the round table.

 

"So, the council has made its decision; we are putting you on a week's probation. Once the week has passed and if nothing has happened, you will be allowed to stay here at Cats' Lair." Tygra explained and Pumm-Ra nodded.

 

"I understand your decision, and I agree with it. I hope I will prove worthy of your trust." Pumm-Ra said and Snarf made a worried purring noise.

 

"We hope so, too." Tygra stated, and then Panthro stood up. As he opened his mouth, I gave a small sigh and left the room, unknowing of the pair of amber-colored eyes that followed me. I headed for the kitchen and got myself something to drink before heading back out, almost bumping into Cheetara.

 

"Oops! Sorry." I said, making sure that I didn't spill any water, and Cheetara steadied me.

 

"Easy there, Emma." She said and when I looked up, I saw Tygra, Cheetara, Panthro and the kittens standing there.

 

"Going somewhere?" I asked and Panthro nodded.

 

"We're heading to the Thundrilium fields to get what we can to use as fuel for both the Cats' Lair and the ThunderTank. Would you like to come with us?" He asked and I shook my head.

 

"No. You guys may trust that puma, but I don't, and I'd rather be here in case something happens." I said bluntly, and Cheetara sighed sadly.

 

"Are you still upset about last night?" She asked and I gave her a bland look.

 

"I'm not upset; I'm livid. Instead of taking my concerns into _consideration_ , you basically brushed them aside and pretty much reminded me that I'm just an outsider, a guest here at the Lair." I said frostily and the five Thundereans in front of me winced at my words.

 

"Emma…" WilyKit started and I shook my head.

 

"No, it's fine; I understand. Sorry for acting like a bitch; I'll be heading back to the one guest room. I'll see you guys later." I said before walking away.

 

I walked through the halls and then paused when I saw an open door. Looking at it in curiosity, I walked over to it and peered into it, only for my jaw to drop when I saw a _gorgeous_ naginata adorning the back wall.

 

It had dual blades, one on either end. The handle was ebony with a red line in the middle, making it look as if it could be a naginata but could separate into dual blades. The blades themselves were ebony, but the sharp sides were so sharp that they literally glowed blue. Sitting at the base of the blades were red hand guards, to protect the wielder's hands. I walked into the room and approached the magnificent weapon. Reaching up, I grabbed it with my right hand and pulled it down, steadying it with my left hand.

 

It felt heavy, but the balance was just about right for a naginata. Giving it an experimental twirl, it spun rather easily and really quick. Grasping it by the red seam, my right thumb pushed a hidden button and the left side fell, still connected by a chain, and I clumsily caught it with my braced left hand. It felt awkward due to the brace, but once the brace was off, it probably wouldn't take long before it felt natural. I reconnected the two parts when I heard voices. Leaving the room, with the naginata in hand, I saw Lion-O and Snarf walking down the hall, pausing when they saw me.

 

"Emma, there you are! We're fixing to have a look through the cat's eyes to see how Panthro and the other group are making out. Would you like to come with us?" Lion-O asked and I didn't miss the hopeful look on his face; I gave a small sigh.

 

"Sure." I said and my heart gave a weird flop when his face lit up like fireworks on a dark night.

 

"Well, come on!" He said and I followed them to the control room. Lion-O sat down at the main console and pressed a couple of buttons, but nothing came up on the screen. He frowned, and pressed a couple more buttons; the screen remained black.

 

"Is that supposed to happen?" I asked, and Lion-O shook his head.

 

"That's strange; nothing's working. Maybe the master power supply is malfunctioning." He said, and I shared a concerned look with Snarf as Lion-O pushed the button for the Fuel Supply Source, only for the full light to flash; Snarf shook his head with a purr.

 

"It's full. The fuel supply is full, so something else is really wrong here, guys." He said and I gave the console a glare.

 

"Yeah, and I bet I know who's behind it." I said and Lion-O looked at me.

 

"Now we don't know that, Emma. But this is serious, and so I'd better use the Sword of Omens to see where Panthro is." He said, standing up and both he and Snarf left the room at a run. While they went to fetch the sword, I headed out and decided to hunt down that puma.

 

After about five minutes of looking, I didn't find him anywhere inside the Lair, so I started heading towards the door when I heard malicious laughter coming from my destination.

 

_'I fucking knew it; he isn't a Thunderean at all!'_ I thought to myself and tightened my grip on the naginata as I ran towards the door.

 

"Stand back and do as I say, boy." I heard as I approached the door and I slowed down, making sure that my footsteps were quiet.

 

"Who are you?! You're not from Thundera; Emma was right about you! You're not one of us, and I was foolish to trust you. What do you want?" I heard Lion-O exclaim and as I looked out the door, I had to stifle my gasp as I saw Lion-O's Claw Shield and the Sword of Omens in the puma's grasp.

 

"Everything! I want it all, and before this day is done, I shall have it." The puma exclaimed and I narrowed my eyes.

 

"The sword will not obey you, and without it, you are no match for me." Lion-O stated, running up the stairs. The puma suddenly raised the sword up, and that was when I noticed that the puma had wrapped a red piece of cloth around the Eye of Thundera.

 

"Hold! Your tongue speaks faster than your brain can think!" The puma snapped, insulting Lion-O's intelligence, and I winced; hey, cut him some slack! He hasn't fully matured yet! "Hold, and behold!" Lion-O stopped and stared up at the puma, not even noticing me in the doorway.

 

_'Come on, you idiot. Do something stupid so that I can get the sword back to Lion-O, you cat wannabe.'_ I thought and then watched as the puma unwrapped the sword.

 

"We have met before, boy, and I remember." He said evilly, and horror filled Lion-O's face as the puma raised the sword. "Thunder. Thunder. Thunder. ThunderCats, ho!" The puma called out and the sky was suddenly filled with dark clouds as lightning struck the ground in random places, including lighting trees on fire, and thunder rumbled through the air. Lightning lanced through the air and struck the sword, also striking the puma.

 

Taking the chance, I pushed the button on the naginata and threw the right side at the puma. Once the blade collided against the sword, I jerked the chain to the left and the blade flew over and struck the Claw Shield, knocking both items out of the puma's hands. They clattered against the stairs and Lion-O quickly ran up and grabbed them, only for the pums to leap at him. Lion-O kept ahold of the Claw and, using his legs, threw the puma down towards the ground but lost his grip on the sword. As the puma landed on his feet, he reached out to grab the sword, but Snarf wrapped his tail around the puma's right leg and pulled it out from underneath him, causing the puma to miss the sword and allowing Lion-O to catch it.

 

"Too late, boy!" The puma cried out from his spot on the ground and as I looked up, I gasped as I saw Slithe, Monkian and Jackalman in the ThunderTank, with Slithe manning the weapons.

 

Slithe fired at Lion-O, who jumped out of the way. Slithe kept firing at Lion-O, who eventually used the Claw Shield to bounce a shot back at the ThunderTank's weapon, causing it to jam. Lion-O ran up the steps as I ran out to keep an eye on the puma on the bottom of the steps, and Lion-O raised the sword.

 

"Thunder. Thunder. Thunder. ThunderCats, ho!" He yelled and as I watched, the blade actually lengthened and that's when I saw the Eye of Thundera turn into the roaring cat symbol, which flew up into the air and a massive growl filled the air; I hissed in surprise as my amulet warmed up against the skin of my chest. I grasped it and pulled it out from underneath my shirt, staring at it in shock due to the fact that not only was it warm, but it was also glowing.

 

All of a sudden, the other ThunderCats came racing into view and they ran over the drawbridge. The mutants saw them and turned the ThunderTank back around and started firing at them, causing them to scatter. Panthro jumped onto the right paw and the mutants became distracted with the gun, due to it jamming again, and Lion-O ran up behind the Tank. The puma let out a cry as he stood up.

 

"He is behind you!" He yelled, pointing, and as the mutants turned to look, Lion-O was already in the air. As Lion-O descendef, he sliced the barrels off the gun and the mutants turned to jump and run, only to freeze as the others jumped up to block their escape. As I watched, Panthro lifted the ThunderTank and then tossed it, throwing everyone out and allowing the mutants to escape.

 

Suddenly, the puma was in front of me, his brown eye completely red, as he grabbed me by my throat and dragged me back into the Cats' Lair. Grasping at his paw, I fought against his grip, only for him to tighten his grip; I gasped for breath and stopped fighting.

 

He dragged me into the control room and started messing with buttons as he wrapped his right arm across my throat. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion and the puma dragged me to the open mouth of the head on the Lair. I looked down the best I could and saw that Panthro was climbing up the side. He looked up and when he saw that the puma had me in his grasp, his face paled.

 

"Emma!" He called and far below, I saw a shock of blue stop and scarlet hair moved.

 

"Spirits of Evil… send forth a force from the darkest depths." The puma summoned and a red swirling vortex filled the air before a massive moth flew down and lunged at Panthro. The puma dragged me back inside and I struggled against his grip. "Quit struggling, slave!" He hissed and tightened his grip until black began to border on the edge of my vision.

 

As we entered the control room again, Tygra jumped down from a vent and lunged at us. The puma stumbled backwards and lost his grip on me as Tygra threw him backwards before turning invisible and the puma suddenly stopped moving. I hit the ground, coughing and trying to regain my breath, as Lion-O ran in and stood between me and the puma.

 

"Hold! Is that you, Tygra?" Lion-O asked and Tygra turned visible, showing that he was the one holding the puma still. They shared a nod before Tygra threw him away and both took up a position between me and the puma as I regained my breath, heart pounding a mile. "It's over, Pumm-Ra! You can't defeat all of us." Lion-O declared and I gave the puma a glare.

 

"And I owe you a swift kick in the ass for the lovely bruise that I'm sure is going to develop on my throat." I said, voice hoarse from the strangulation. Cheetara and Snarf ran in right as the puma went to make a break for it, only for Panthro to step in his way and the kittens blocked the other exit.

 

"Who are you?" Panthro asked, his arms crossed.

 

" **What** are you?" Cheetara asked, and I took a deep breath.

 

"Besides an ancient blue mummified sorcerer who seems to get his kicks cosplaying as different people." I exclaimed, slowly climbing to my feet and leaning against the naginata.

 

"Who am I?" The puma asked as he turned to look at Cheetara, his red eye landing and staying on me. "Wouldn't you like to know. Suffice to say that I have lived here for a thousand years. I am not the intruder; it is you who have disturbed my rest!" He said, pointing at the ThunderCats while keeping his gaze on me. "But I have time." He said, as lightning struck down out of nowhere, and he suddenly shifted from appearing as a puma to that of the mummy that I saw yesterday. "A thousand years, 5,000 more. You cannot defeat me, for I am Mumm-Ra!" He declared, and all of the ThunderCats took a couple steps backwards from the figure.

 

_'So Mumm-Ra_ finally _decides to show his ugly mug_.' I thought to myself, as he suddenly shifted to a mummy completely covered in bandages and covered in a red cloak.

 

"And wherever evil exists, Mumm-Ra lives. Mumm-Ra lives! MUMM-RA LIVES!" He shouted, raising his hands and red lightning filled the air before he suddenly vanished. Everyone stood still in shock, before my legs suddenly gave out and my butt collided with the floor.

 

"Ow, son of a bitch!" I hollered, which broke the spell, and Panthro jumped to the control panel to see what kind of damage Mumm-Ra had caused. Meanwhile, Cheetara turned towards me.

 

"Emma, your neck!" She gasped and I reached up to touch it, only to flinch when it gave a nasty throb.

 

"Yeah, I bet it's a pretty purple/blue color, courtesy of the mummified asshole that just left." I said hoarsely, and the kittens laughed.

 

"Interesting way to describe him." Tygra commented as he sat down at one of the other consoles and Cheetara took the seat opposite of him. After about an hour, all three of them turned and faced us.

 

"Well, it's all back in working order again." Panthro said and Snarf meowed.

 

"That mummy creature really was something to see." He commented and Tygra looked at him.

 

"I hope we never see it again." Tygra replied and I rolled my eyes with a scoff.

 

"Don't hold your breath, Tygra." I said and Cheetara nodded.

 

"But you know that we will." She said, looking at Tygra.

 

"We will need new safeguards for our lair." Lion-O suggested and Panthro turned to him.

 

"Yes, and that's the first thing on the agenda for tomorrow." Panthro said and Lion-O sighed.

 

"I can't believe I misjudged that Pumm-Ra like I did." He stated, looking upset, and Tygra stood up.

 

"First impressions are often wrong, Lion-O. Trust is something that takes time to grow." He said and I gave a nonexistent scoff.

 

"And I guess new friends are not as easily made as I thought." Lion-O said and Snarf meowed.

 

"And friends like the ThunderCats are forever." He commented and the seven of them put their hands together in a circle, once again reminding me that **_I didn't belong_**. Cheetara caught sight of me and summoned me over, but I shook my head. Using the naginata to help me stand, I turned towards the door.

 

"Emma, wait! We all owe you an apology. You tried to warn us about that Pumm-Ra, but we weren't willing to listen, and true friends listen to their friends concerns. I'm sorry for brushing them aside." Lion-O said and I paused.

 

"It's fine. You guys had thought that you found a fellow countryman and the thought of it made you excited." I said emotionlessly and left the room, heading back to the room to return the naginata.

 

"Emma, hold on!" I ignored the calls and kept walking.

 

Once I put the naginata up, I turned around to leave the room, only to stop when Panthro walked in. He walked up to the naginata and stared at it thoughtfully.

 

"Lion-O said that you handled this weapon very well during the battle with the mutants. He also said that you helped in getting the Sword of Omens and the Claw Shield away from Mumm-Ra." He said.

 

"It was a fluke; he was distracted after getting struck by lightning. I just took advantage of it, that's all." I said and walked away.

 

I returned to my borrowed bedroom and locked the door behind me. I lied on the bed and fell into a light doze. When I woke up again, the moon was high in the sky and I sat up. Gingerly touching my neck, I winced as my fingertips met tortured flesh and I sighed. Getting up, I unlocked the bedroom door and left the room, the door closing softly behind me.

 

I made my way down the darkened hallway, pausing for a minute by kittens room; sorrow filled me, as I was leaving the Cats' Lair. I looked in through the door and saw them both fast asleep. I gave a soft smile before giving a soundless sigh and kept walking. I walked past another opened door, only to do a double-take when I saw that it was Lion-O's room!

 

I looked in and saw both Lion-O and Snarf, fast asleep, and from here I could tell that Lion-O was naked; the blanket had shifted to reveal his bare ass and I felt my face turn bright red as my heart began to race. I stumbled backwards and rested a hand against my chest.

 

'Why… why is my heart racing like this? Is it… do I actually like Lion-O?!' I thought and the mental image of Lion-O holding me made my body feel warm.

 

"You have got to be kidding me." I said softly; I had a damn crush on Lion-O! "I've gotta get out of here." I said quietly and walked away from his room.

 

Approaching the control room, I paused and looked into the doorway; the room appeared to be empty. Sighing softly, I pushed a few buttons, setting the drawbridge to extend for about 5 minutes, which would allow me to cross it, before retracting.

 

Pausing by the kitchen, I packed a couple meals before snatching a blanket and pillow from a spare closet. Packing everything into a bag, I quickly and quietly fled Cats' Lair. Once I was across the drawbridge, I stopped and turned to face Cats' Lair. Even after the drawbridge had pulled back, leaving no way to get back across the moat, still I stood there, sorrow flowing through me.

 

"This… this is for the best. I may be destined to become Lion-O's protector, but if any of them found out that I developed feelings for the Lord of the ThunderCats… I would be laughed out of there in a heartbeat. Good-bye, everyone; I wish you luck." I said before facing the path and set off down the road, disappearing into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 7,924 words later... Hope you guys like it!


	5. Tower of Traps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma has a dream message, helps out with the Wolo wedding, and is found by the ThunderCats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, before this chapter is started, I want to make one thing clear: Emma has DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. Both of those play a HUGE part in her actions in these early chapters, because while they never fully go away, they do become easier to handle; she just has to find her place with the ThunderCats. That being said, she will have episodes of self-doubt here and there, so I'm warning you right now; there will be times where you can tell that her depression and anxiety are showing their faces.  
> Okay, rant over! It's a short chapter, so enjoy!

~DREAM~

~EMMA'S P.O.V.~

_I ran through the blackness of night, the air heavy and dense as I struggled to breathe. All around me, I could hear the laughter of Mutants, could_ feel _their breath on the back of my neck as I surged forward, arms and legs tired, but I couldn't stop._

_"You_ never _should have left the ThunderCats, slave. Without them to protect you, it won't be long until you're back here, at Castle Plun-Darr, back to being a slave!" I heard Slithe call out and I increased my speed, only to trip over a tree root. As the laughter increased in volume, I heard a sudden roar and the laughter suddenly turned into screams of pain and fear. Assuming the fetal position, closing my eyes and covering my head with my arms, I waited for the inevitable, when the screams suddenly shut off, and then footsteps filled the air. I lied there, staying as quiet as I could, when the footsteps stopped._

_"Emma! Emma, can you hear me?" My eyes snapped open; that sounded like Lion-O!_

_"Lion-O?! Lion-O, is that you?!" I cried and the footsteps started thundering in my direction. I still wasn't gonna take the chance, so when his figure came into view, his scarlet hair flying as he ran, I slowly sat up, relief flushing through my system. He stopped and knelt right in front of me, resting his hands on my shoulders._

_"Emma, are you okay?!" He asked and I nodded as he gently grabbed my arms and helped me to my feet. "Where are you?" He asked and I looked at him, confused._

_"Wh-what do you mean?" I asked and he waved his right hand._

_"You left Cats' Lair about 2 months ago; where did you go?! Where are you at right now?_ **_Why did you leave_ ** _?" He asked, his face filled with concern and hurt, and I looked down at the ground._

_"I'm… not a Thunderean, so I didn't think that I belonged at Cats' Lair. I mean, you guys refused to listen to what I had to say about Mumm-Ra pretending to be that puma, so… so I figured that my staying there had expired." I said, refusing to lift my head, and I heard him sigh before I was suddenly pulled flat against his chest._

_"Emma… I know that I'm not the most mature ThunderCat, but I_ am _your friend. If you're concerned about something,_ please _talk to me about it. If you can't talk to me about it, then_ please _bring it to Cheetara." He said and I closed my eyes to keep the tears from leaking out of my eyes as my face was pressed against his chest. "Now… are you ready to come home?" He asked, his chest rumbling with his voice, and I sniffled before taking a step back._

_"I can't at the moment." I said and when I looked up at him, I saw his crestfallen face. "It's nothing bad; honest! I've been helping out at different villages, and right now I'm at the Wolo Village, helping prepare for a wedding that's going to be taking place soon." I explained and his face cleared up._

_"Will you come home_ after _the wedding is done?" He asked; I saw the large amount of hope and pleading in his eyes and I sighed._

_"Yes, Lion-O. I'll head back to Cats' Lair when the wedding is done." I said and his eyes literally lit up like the Aurora Borealis in the night sky. He pulled me in for another hug, only this time he buried his nose into my hair and inhaled deeply._

_"I'm holding you to it. I'll come and get you_ myself _if I have to." He said, and my face felt like it was burning from how hard I was blushing._

~END DREAM~

I opened my eyes and heard birds twittering outside the window of the inn room that I was staying in. I sat up and covered the right side of my face with a hand.

_'Was that actually a dream, or did Lion-O somehow manage to find me?'_ I thought, feeling sad about seeing him looking like that.

I left Cats' Lair a little over two months ago, and I hadn't seen hide nor hair of the ThunderCats, but I _had_ heard about stuff that they'd done. Mumm-Ra somehow managed to brainwash Tygra, using _fruit_ of all things, into giving him the Sword of Omens. Of course, the Warrior Maidens had somehow known that something wasn't right and went along until it was time to free the ThunderCats, defeating Mumm-Ra once again.

"Miss Em? Are you awake?" A soft voice asked from the other side of the door and I shook my head.

"I am. Is it time to start setting up?" I asked.

"Yes, it is." The soft voice belonged to Aily, the young Wolo who was getting married today.

"All right. I'll be right out." I said before climbing out of bed and pulling on a simple white shirt and a pair of tan Capris.

For the next two or three hours, I helped in setting up tables, hanging lights and putting dishes of food out on the tables. The only drawback was when the father of the bride showed up, slightly upset because he'd been attacked on his way here.

Other than that, the wedding went off without a hitch. I was helping dish out the food to a couple when I noticed that Aily's new mother-in-law, Zoelle, looked frantic.

"Hey, what's the matter?" I asked and she looked at me.

"Oh, the singer hasn't shown up, and now we don't have someone to sing!" She said, wringing her hands, and I sighed.

"I'll do it. What music will the band be playing?" I asked. She led me over to the band, who started softly playing the song, and I blinked in surprise. "You're in luck; I actually know the lyrics for it." I said and she beamed before dragging me to a room.

"You can't wear that simple outfit! Here, put this on!" She exclaimed, throwing me an ankle long pure white dress. Giving her a helpless look, I changed clothes, ignoring her gasp at the sight of my scars from my time in the Mutants and slipped on the white dress. 

The sleeves buttoned one time up by my shoulders; after that they flowed around my wrists. The mother-in-law, Zoelle, put purple flowers throughout my hair and then stepped back.

"Oh, you look perfect! Come now; the band will be playing soon." Zoelle said before gently ushering me out. Once I was on the stage, the band began to play. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and started to sing.

~LION-O'S P.O.V.~

As I looked around at the crowd, I couldn't find the one person that I wanted to find, and I felt… upset, and sad, for some weird reason.

_"There's a song that's inside of my soul_

_It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again_

_I'm awake in the infinite cold_

_But you sing to me over and over and over again."_

My eyes snapped to the stage and my heart started racing; it was Emma, and she looked… different. Her white hair had black spots, instead of streaks like it used to. She wore a white dress and had purple flowers braided within her hair. She was barefoot, and her eyes were closed, but she looked… _beautiful_.

_"So I lay my head back down_

_And I lift my hands_

_And pray to be only yours_

_I pray to be only yours_

_I know now you're my only hope."_

I walked towards the stage, dodging the dancing Wolos with ease, as I made my way through the crowd.

_"Sing to me the song of the stars_

_Of your galaxy dancing_

_And laughing and laughing again_

_When it feels like my dreams are so far_

_Sing to me of the plans that you have for me over again."_

I stopped at the edge and just stared up at her. Her eyes were still closed, and upon closer inspection, I could see that her hands were no longer human, but claw-like, and she had black spots along her neck and her hairline.

_"So I lay my head back down_

_And I lift my hands and pray_

_To be only yours_

_I pray to be only yours_

_I know now you're my only hope_

 

_I give you my destiny_

_I'm giving you all of me_

_I want your symphony_

_Singing in all that I am_

_At the top of my lungs I'm giving it back."_

"She's beautiful." I almost jumped out of my skin when the other ThunderCats caught up with me and WilyKit commented that sentence.

"Yes, she is." I replied, never removing my eyes from Emma.

_"So I lay my head back down_

_And I lift my hands and pray_

_To be only yours_

_I pray to be only yours_

_I pray to be only yours_

_I know now you're my only hope."_

She finished and took a breath before opening her eyes and I gaped; she no longer had round pupils, but slit-shaped pupils, and her eyes had lightened to an almost yellow color.

_'She's… She's absolutely_ beautiful _.'_ Was all that I could think before her eyes drifted down and latched onto us, and her eyes widened in surprise.

~EMMA'S P.O.V.~

When I looked down, I noticed the ThunderCats standing right be the stage, and Lion-O's eyes appeared to be latched onto me. However, before I could even say something, I was yanked forward and a gasp escaped me as I was suddenly wrapped in a tight hug from Panthro.

"You little menace! We've been looking all over for you, and this is where you've been?!" He shouted in my ear and I struggled to get free.

"Panthro, let… me… go, dammit!" I said, to no avail. Trying to get in a breath, I looked over at the others helplessly. "Help me, please." I said, and Tygra stepped forward.

"Panthro, let her go; she can't breathe." He said and Panthro dropped me. I landed on my butt, coughing and wheezing as I tried to get my breath back.

"Emma, that was beautiful!" WilyKit rushed over, exclaiming, and I held up a finger.

"Let me… catch my… breath… since Gramps… seemed intent… on crushing… my lungs." I said, taking a deep breath between every couple of words, and I was snatched up again, only this time to receive a noogie.

"Gramps?! I'll show you gramps!" Panthro exclaimed and I squirmed like a worm on a fishing hook.

"Panthro, enough." Cheetara said sternly and Panthro dropped me a second time, only I was prepared and landed on my feet, but had to bend over to try and regain my breath. Once I had regained it, I stood up straight and looked at the six ThunderCats.

"When did you guys get here?" I asked.

"We showed up a couple minutes before you got up on stage. WilyKit and I went to check out the tower of robber Baron Karnor because the father of the bride was robbed on his way here. Well, I fell into a trap and was caged all the way at the top of the tower, and WilyKit and Lion-O had to come and rescue me. As we were leaving, Kit found a wedding present that had been stolen from the bride's father, so we decided to return it. We weren't expecting you here!" Kat said and I shrugged.

"I've been traveling around, helping out at villages here and there. I wanted to make myself useful." I said and then Lion-O stepped up.

"Are you ready to come home, Emma?" He asked and I looked at him, curiosity pulsing through me.

_'Is he… was that dream_ really _a dream and not something else?'_ I thought and gave a small smile, even though it hurt to know that he only thought of me as a friend; yep, I was doomed because of my crush on the young ThunderCat Lord.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that if I said no or tried to get out of returning, you would come and hunt me down, as a concerned friend." I said, trying to hide the hurt, but I could tell that I was only partially successful; the three adults caught it, but the younger three did not, as the kittens cheered and Lion-O grinned.

"Lion-O! You're safe!" I heard Snarf call out and when I turned towards his voice, I saw him running towards us, relief heavy on his face.

"Oh, sure, I'm fine. And, uh… listen, Snarf. I'm sorry I pulled that dirty trick on you before." Lion-O said, getting on one knee as I raised an eyebrow at his back; _what_ dirty trick? Snarf purred as his ears lowered.

"That's okay. I know it's a pain, having your elders worrying about you all the time. But it's only because we care about you. Heck, you'll understand… someday." Snarf said and I stepped forward to rub his head.

"I'm pretty sure he does already, Snarf." I said.

"She's right; I understand now, Snarf. Because… I worry about you, and for the same reason." Lion-O said, placing a hand on Snarf's shoulder. Snarf purred as he sat down and leaned against a tree. "All right, ThunderCats! Let's head home." Lion-O said before he turned to face me. " _All_ of us." He said firmly, holding out his hand, and I took it, as the kittens cheered in happiness and my heart soared; home. After being snatched from Xervas and forced as a slave to Mutants… I finally had a home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, short chapter! But the next one should be longer; it has Mandora in it. Also, I don't own the song; that's Mandy Moore's version of "Only Hope."

**Author's Note:**

> Whoo, holy crap! I hope that this chapter can make up for lost time! However, please do not blame me if I don't hold my breath; I was gone for a good while, which I profusely apologize for. Please let me know what you guys thought about this chapter/story, and what I can do to improve it! Remember, no flames, because all flames will be fed to the demons of hell.


End file.
